Human-powered helicopter breaks world record

Last year, engineering students at the University of Maryland in College Park tried to set a record
for flying a human-powered helicopter. Today they are at it again, with a lighter, more advanced cycle-copter. So far, they've managed to break the world record for human-powered choppers in their first flight by staying airborne for 35 seconds (see video above).

The team's Gamera II craft
weighs around 32 kilograms, roughly two-thirds the weight of its predecessor, and has an improved rotor and cockpit design. Gamera I achieved just 4
seconds of flight last year, failing to beat the previous record of 20 seconds
set in 1994 by a copter called Yuri I.
As they continue their tests today, the team hopes to break the 60-second
barrier, an important step to claiming the American Helicopter Society's
Sikorsky prize for human-powered flight.

Last year's record was 11.4 seconds. Overall it was shorter than the previous recordholder but it is still a record for the western hemisphere as well as for a female pilot.

Chris Roper
on June 21, 2012 2:17 AM

Well done !
Looks like you've done it this time.
Love to see it at Lasham
Chris

Bubbles
on June 21, 2012 9:36 AM

Impressive - but its "Flight" in the loosest possible sense of the word. There is no forward momentum, now lift beyond a few inches - and in an artificial environment free from any wind resistance etc.
Dont want to knock it though - its a great innovation - but needs a few more Einsteins to work on it before it starts to take shape in any practical or meaningful sense of flight

1. Your pilot is pedaling too fast so increase the gearing. Cadence should equal 100 to 120.
2. Remove the hand crank for weight saving.
3. Increase the length of the pedal crank for a better lever.
4. Search for a pilot with a higher power output per mass if you think your drive train can handle the extra power.
5. Also advantagous would be a pilot with a longer thigh length compared to overall leg length.